The long-term goal of this proposal is to enhance the academic preparation and research training of IUB underrepresented minority (URM) students in the sciences who are interested in going to graduate school and pursuing careers in biomedically related fields. This proposal is aimed to maximize the retention and matriculation of URM undergraduates as IMSD Scholars, to engage them in an active research program, and to prepare them to be competitive in major Ph.D. graduate programs at the national level. This will be achieved by a year-round program as outlined in this proposal. We also propose to increase the number of URM students pursuing the Ph.D. degree at IUB, and to maximize their retention and matriculation as IMSD graduate trainees. [unreadable] [unreadable] The specific aims in achieving these goals are as follows: [unreadable] Specific aim I is directed at increasing the retention and matriculation of URM undergraduates at IUB, and increasing their awareness of research as a career. A monthly meeting will be held to which all URM science majors will be invited, and will be attended by IMSD students. Each month we will cover either academic success or research topics. As part of our retention efforts we will offer assistance with "gateway" courses on a regular basis in a series of courses that are critical to science majors, and hurdles to URM students that can lead to attrition in the sciences. As a measurable goal we will move the median grade of URM students in these courses toward the median grade for control peer groups. [unreadable] [unreadable] Specific aim II is the centerpiece of the proposal, and an ongoing activity, that will provide 25 URM, IUB undergraduates two academic years of research experience and two summers of full-time research experience in their laboratory of choice. We will focus on improving the quantity and quality of IMSD applicants and attempt to double the number of students moving on to Ph.D. graduate programs. [unreadable] [unreadable] In Specific aim III we expand our mission to provide research opportunities to URM Ph.D. graduate students as IMSD graduate fellows. Through the IMSD Program we plan to increase the number of URM students in our science graduate programs to 10% of total enrollment. This effort will complement ongoing efforts by the University Graduate School to provide academic and research training opportunities to an increasing number of URM Ph.D. graduate students at IUB. [unreadable] [unreadable] The IMSD Program provides an outstanding opportunity to recruit, retain, and matriculate URM students in the biomedical sciences on the IUB campus. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]